Korie was an extra special good girl this year and really racked up with Christmas gifts! On top of the antler chewies she also received some stuffed toys and a humongous rawhide chewie that lasted approximately 40 minutes before chewing the end off of it. She loved every second of those 40 minutes.

Now instead of chewing, she plays with her stuffed toys before going out for farm chores.

Well, there is some chewing....

Woof! What are you looking at?

Here's hoping you all found peace, love, joy and toys for the holidays and the coming new year.

This morning I modified it using none other than the leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving, fresh broccoli from the garden, brown rice and a can of black beans.

Take your leftover turkey carcass, leg bones, etc. and boil down until meat is tender enough to pull easily from the bones. Giblets are ok here too. 20-25 minutes medium boil (don't go outside and feed geese at this time or your pot will boil over resulting in nasty mess on your cooktop.)

Let it cool (I cooled overnight but couple of hours should do fine) and separate meat from bones, discarding bones. Feed a little meat to the dogs all sitting in a row at your feet in the kitchen.

Miss Korie our English Shepherd pup will be one year old on January 1st. Wow! She's almost a dog. And she's a very active chewer. She chews like it's her day job and can unroll a rawhide chew in about 20 minutes. Nylabones last a little longer, but even they succumb to her strong jaws and teeth and become rough and jagged on the ends.

So what's to be done? Butchershop beef knuckle bones are great, but for sure not to be enjoyed on the rug in the house. And now I learn that rawhide is actually not good for dogs that can consume it like candy--especially if its the cheap poor quality "made in China" variety where they have very little quality control. Some hounds actually experience impaction from the stuff, and surgery is required.As it turns out, I found what could be a great alternative--100% natural deer and elk antlers all products of the USA. At first glance, they seem pricey, but if they last like the reviews say they will, they are a value in the long term. They come in different sizes, and at 40 lbs., Korie is a borderline "medium" elk antler size. However, I know she has a "large dog" mentality when it comes to chewing, so I'll be ordering up for her to make sure she can't break the smaller one or damage her molars trying to.

Amazon.com with their free shipping on orders $25 and up, no tax and delivery to my door in a timely manner with a smile on the box is my "go to" source for almost anything not in the grocery store. They continue delight with their "Chasing Our Tails" brand elk antler chewies. I'm ordering these today in the large size. I hope they are all they are supposed to be. I'll have Korie post a review.

Kelley Creek Farms is a small (micro really) hobby farm located in Central Alabama 30 minutes south of Birmingham. We raise heritage and rare waterfowl and poultry along with a myriad of other creatures that give the farm its life. In addition to the birds, we raise heirloom tomatoes and vegetables.

Each day is different and brings a new set of adventures. Some make you laugh and some make you cry. Some are just plain frustrating. But we persevere knowing that tomorrow's set of problems will be completely different than today. Still figuring all this out ....one day at a time and striving for a more sustainable way of life.